Hi, I'm Eva!
I am a Women's Empowerment Coach. I help women achieve gender equality in their workplaces and their homes by exposing the patriarchal cultural stereotypes through which they have been thought to view themselves. Being a mother myself, I feel a special bond with working mothers and their struggle to balance work, family and self-care.
If you find yourself in an exhausting struggle, battling against the odds
and wondering what went wrong and how to make it right...
Book a free discovery call and together, we will discover what's keeping you stuck
and will equip you with the skills you need to shift into your full power.
My Story
For 23 years, gender equality has been my mission. I worked as an international gender expert for the empowerment of women in conflict zones. I trained women to manage conflict, build community, and access financial independence. I consulted on gender equality for international organizations. But when I became a mother ten years ago, everything I believed about gender equality went out the window. I found myself lost in how to balance the roles of a career woman and a mother.
I found that many professional settings lacked space for motherhood. I struggled. I felt I wasn’t doing enough either at work or at home. When I left work to breastfeed my son, I thought that every one of my colleagues judged me. And when I needed to stay longer at work, I felt overwhelmed by all that I had to do at home. At the time, I didn’t think it was possible to work and be the kind of mother I aimed to be. I thought it was either my career or motherhood.
Eventually, after many years of struggle, through deep reflection and self-discovery, I realized I was living by tenets that weren’t mine. I absorbed them from my social and cultural background, as a Palestinian Muslim woman, growing up in Jewish Israel and going to a Christian school. I thought I had left patriarchal conditioning behind with my gender equality mission. Instead, I realized that my mission moved from gender equality to people pleasing. Along the ride, I uncovered some uncomfortable beliefs that were operating in the background.
‘A woman’s purpose in life is to serve men and her children’.
‘Men are more powerful than women’.
‘It’s normal for women to be dependent upon men for decision-making’.
I realized how these dynamics were operating in both my work and at home. I didn’t believe that I had the right, or the power, to negotiate working conditions to be adjusted to my role of a mother. Instead of seeing my influence in “the system”, I was fighting it. This rendered me ineffective, exhausted and resentful. Despite advanced education and training in gender equality, I had a deep seeded thought that my worth came from being a servant to others' needs. In reality, the gender expert was acting unequally at home and work.
My struggle made me aware that mothers all around me fought the same exhausting fight. The toxic beliefs ingrained in my psyche didn’t seem to apply only to my cultural conditioning - I recognized them in so many women around me. I observed them losing their joy and self-worth in trying to balance family and career. As mothers, we want flexible hours and part-time work but don’t think we’re allowed to ask for it. We settle for positions and pay that is below our level of experience and expertise. Or, we give up working altogether. I became determined to change this zero-sum game to a win-win, for myself and other women.
At home, I dropped the role of the servant. I stopped thinking it is my responsibility to meet everybody’s needs and wants. I dropped the people-pleasing. I stopped saying yes when I didn’t want to do something. I invited my husband and kids from a flailing house to a powerhouse. For example, instead of managing every step of the boys' morning routine and resenting it, they got themselves up and ready for school on their own. Our morning routine went from stressful and frustrating to peaceful and enjoyable. I stopped self-sacrificing for my kids and trying to control everything. My kids became happier. They had more responsibility and independence. The result is that they do more for themselves, I have more time for myself and our time together becomes fun.
At work, I stopped playing by outdated rules and designed my career. Now, work supports both our financial well-being and our family life. Now, I coach moms who over-serve and under-earn to being powerhouse at work and home.